The Reckoning
by Mending Hearts and Feelings
Summary: Three lives that shouldn't have crossed, three lives that have to fight. A prophecy is tearing down the boundaries between worlds, leading to the three encountering each other. Can Homura, Anna and Nico learn to work together? Or will they lead to the worlds being destroyed?
1. Prologue

Okay, here's the first chapter in a crossover story involving Percy Jackson, Madoka Magica and an original story. Hope everyone enjoys it.

_Chance Encounter? Or Is it?_

_(Prologue)_

Anna bolted down the street, weaving between the foot traffic even as Bastet yelled at her in her head. Shaking her head, the girl nearly responded when she felt something start tugging at her. Concern furrowing her brow, she asked mentally, Bastet? What's going on? Do you feel that? She heard the feline goddess say something in response, but Anna didn't quite think about what she was doing when she jumped over the low bushes that led to the park. The thorns in the bushes caught on the blue jeans and her long sleeved hoodie, slowing her down in her retreat for a brief second.

A shriek clawed its way free, she only had a single second to take another of air before the portal that had mysteriously opened up in the ground and swallowed her whole. A few minutes after the portal had devoured, Anna was spit out into a different park.

Anna pushed herself up, wincing a little as her palms started to sting. Sitting down on her butt, she stared at the scrapes on her hands even as her head ached dully. Wincing again, the sixteen-year-old glanced around as Bastet pestered mentally, _Anna are you okay? Do you have any idea what just happened?_

She fought the urge to flinch, and it took her a moment to answer. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think it might have been a side of that effect of that Reaper that Tyler's been chasing."

_The one that was capable of killing Cronus?_

Anna heard the unease in Bastet's voice, and she couldn't blame the Egyptian goddess. While Cronus had nothing to do with them, anything that was capable of killing one of the Titans was something to be nervous about. Nodding her head uneasily, she glanced down at her hands for a moment longer before she got back on her feet. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was; because even though the park looked like the one she jumped into it wasn't the right one.

"What the-? How'd you get here?"

The voice drew her attention to a boy with dark hair and eerily pale skin. Tensing, she watched him for several minutes as she noticed the familiar death aura around him. "What's your connection to death?" Anna blurted, her eyes widening to reveal her shock and she caught his own surprise at her knowledge. This in turn lead to her lightly tanned skin, from her time in the sun, gaining a pink tint that colored her cheeks.

"May I ask how you knew?" The boy asked, his eyes darkening to show his dark mood. His black jeans fit him a little loosely, and Anna could just see a bit of his dark blue shirt underneath the worn dark leather jacket that he wore. It made his pale skin stand out more than it probably should have, Anna's eyes found the silver skull ring on his finger before her eyes darted back up to his eyes which hid behind black bangs, making his skin seem even paler. Anna was conscious of the cold aura he radiated and the fact he had a blade at his side, but it was the vibe he gave off that saddened her; because she could tell with a glance that he was about her age, even though he was half a head taller than her.

Shrugging, Anna tugged at one of the pink stands of hair; half of her hair was pink while the other half was this strange blue-purple mix. She glanced at the boy and explained coolly, suddenly feeling defensive, "I'm used to people around me having that type of vibe. My brother's best friend has the same type of vibe, and one of his classmates is also the same."

She watched the boy nod, and with a neutral expression he answered, "My dad's in charge of the Underworld, his name's Hades. My name's Nico di Angelo by the way." She could tell that he wanted her to return the introduction, and maybe give a better explanation of how she knew things.

"Anna Sol, and my two friends plays hosts to other death gods. One of them being Hades," Anna admitted.

Despite his better judgement, Anna saw the way his face turned up in a smile, only for the smile to slide away and his muscles suddenly start to tense. Turning to look to the right at the sudden sensation, she listened as an Italian word slipped from Nico's lips, and next thing she knew he'd grabbed her wrist tight. She felt the rushing sensation as her world went black; opening her mouth to scream Anna closed her eyes tight to try and justify it being dark.

She heard another Italian phrase slip free from Nico, leading to her cracking open an eye to see that it was still dark but something seemed off. Or at least judging by the shocked look on Nico's face it was wrong. Before she had a chance to ask though, she watched the way that the world around her returned to be colored just before she slammed into the ground. Yelping in surprise, she saw the way Nico seemed just as shocked as her; only for his surprise to be replaced by a neutral expression.

Apparently the strangeness was just bound to continue, a girl with long dark hair walked into view, which contrasted with her pale skin. Anna got the impression looking at her that the girl wasn't exactly the friendliest of people. A quick glance in Nico's direction and her suspicion was confirmed when she saw the way that Nico was glaring at the girl.

Anna didn't feel the way around this new girl that she felt around Nico or any of the other hosts she'd encountered; but there was something odd about this girl. Trying to figure it out, she squeaked slightly as Nico snapped, "You don't have a soul. Do you care to explain that?"

She watched the violet eyes the girl had, she seemed indifferent about the questions; and her pale mouth was drawn into a frown staining the beauty the girl possessed. The girl dusted off her silver and purple skirt of her one piece outfit, something that Anna found a little peculiar since there was no dirt on it. Glancing at the girl's feet, Anna saw the black tights the other girl wore to cover her legs along with the black heeled boots. Glancing in Nico's direction, Anna raised her hand to have him settle down as she took a step toward the new girl. "My name's Anna Sol, this is Nico di Angelo. I'm sorry about his straightforwardness. What's your name?"

The girl leveled her with a cold stare, and Anna tried not to fidget under it. She banished the feeling that she had Aiden and Tyler watching her, or even her older brother Seth watching her with a disapproving look. She held the girl's stare, before finally the girl answered, "Homura Akemi." Anna watched the way that Homura reached her hand up to touch her dark hair, almost as if she did it out of habit, this lead to Anna seeing the red ribbon the girl wore.

It was, Anna could tell, more information than the girl wanted to give, but it wasn't a big concern. Putting her hands on her hips, Anna smiled warmly at the other girl to try and ease Homura's agitation. "Well, it's nice to meet you Homura, and while I want to keep talking I think we should get moving. It feels as if there's something lurking around the corner, and I'm not sure about you two but I'd much rather not deal with it."

It seemed as if that was enough to break the tension between her two dark haired companies. Turning on her heel, she kept her head down and walked away from the park. Her pale blue eyes darting from one side to the other, her two toned hair covering her view just enough to block anyone from realizing what she was thinking. She felt Nico slip up next to her on her left, and Homura was on her right; all three of them keeping their eyes to the ground.

After they retreated a few blocks, she heard one set of footsteps slow until they stopped. Pausing in her own stride, she turned to look to see that Homura had chosen to stop, Nico on the other hand had retreated ahead a few steps before he stopped. Anna threw a quick glance over her shoulder, showing her that Nico was hanging out by the wall; his back against the wall so no one could sneak up on him and attack him without his awareness.

Nico's eyes flashed with a look that she didn't quite catch, but she knew that if Aiden or Tyler had been here they would have. Her muscles tensing, Anna felt Bastet finally stir in the back of her mind, analyzing the situation and capturing both Nico and Homura attention. "Are you the child of a goddess?" Nico demanded.

"Are you a wraith that is just good at illusions?" Homura snapped.

Either way though, Anna felt their accusing eyes on her even as they both took a step back from her; uncertainty briefly crossing their faces as they both drew their weapons. Anna felt her frustration flare, raising both her hands in a nonthreatening gesture she angled her body just enough so that both of her companies could see her. "Look, I'm not a wraith and I'm not a child of any deity. Instead, I'm playing host to one, she's the Egyptian goddess Bastet. Either one of you aware of Egyptian mythology?"

She watched as both of them softened a tiny degree, only for them both to harden back up again. Raking her fingers through her hair, Anna screamed a wordless scream at their stupidity. Whipping around to glare at Nico full on, she wordlessly beckoned Homura to stand in front of her too; right next to Nico. Anna switched her stare from one to the other, quivering with barely suppressed rage as she watched. Taking a shaky breath to try and calm herself; Anna felt some of the hot fury roll away with each breath. She wouldn't lose control, not now because of them. She wouldn't jeopardize her chance to go on that school field trip overseas because of these two uncaring assholes.

"Would you like to make a contract to become a magical girl?"

The childish voice reached her ears, drawing Anna's attention away from the two in front of her; but she didn't miss the flash of rage and fear that passed through Homura's violet eyes. Seeing the white cat thing, she crouched down so she was at eye level and looked at it. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"If you want to become a magical girl, you just need to make a contract with me and I'll grant you a wish."

Anna's eyes shined with confusion, and she was about to reach out and touch it when a strangled shriek came from behind her and she felt hands yank her backwards. "You leave her alone Kyubey!" Homura hissed; her voice surprisingly raw given how she'd been acting earlier.

Glancing over her shoulder at the dark haired girl, Anna opened her mouth to protest when Nico stepped in front of her; shielding the cat-like thing from her view. Seeing the tension in his shoulders, Anna frowned a bit as Nico growled, "You'll leave these girls alone as long as they're with me, and you won't be taking anyone else's souls."

Anna felt as if a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on her, chilling her to her bones as she looked at Nico's brown aviator jacket. Before she could ask what he meant, she felt Homura's grip tighten on her shoulders and continue to edge her farther away from the cat thing. Sensing the malicious, depressing energy from before, Anna scrambled to her feet and latched onto Homura's arm. Nico as well seemed to have sensed the same energy that Anna had, and Kyubey didn't seem to have any issue with the strange presence.

"I think I can get you home without you making a contract, but it'll require a bit of careful planning." Homura whispered, clearly trying to prevent Anna from doing what Kyubey wanted.

Glancing at her, Anna nodded slowly, not quite sure why she was trusting Homura. "Could you get Nico home too?" She whispered back, and even though there was a bit of hesitation, Homura answered that she could possibly get them both back.

Bracing herself as the area around her twisted and collapsed in on itself, Anna heard cackling laughter that sounded as if nails were being dragged down a chalk board. She called up a bo staff, looking around her as it continued twisting into odd shapes she heard Homura make a comment about a Wraith. It is coming Anna, it's going to rush you three from behind and to the right. Bastet whispered through her mind, turning Anna's eyes catlike and a paler blue than they usually were.

Instinctively dancing to the left, she watched as Homura jumped away and focused her pistol on it. A look in Nico's direction told her that the demigod was also no stranger to battle, she saw him call up wave after wave of the undead and walls of earth. She watched Homura shoot at the creature, even as she tried to keep her distance. Casting a buffing spell to help out with her teammates' defenses, Anna glanced at the Wraith. Locking eyes with it again, Anna cocked her head to the side; apparently it wasn't used to people like it doing things for good.

A barked command from Nico drew her attention, and even a quick order from Homura reached her; but Anna quickly returned her attention to the Wraith. She could wait a few moments, it seemed as if it was about to charge. _Bastet, could you make it where they can hear what I'm thinking? _Anna asked innocently, she wasn't combative; that's something those two could clearly see.

_Of course little one, what's wrong?_ Bastet murmured soothing, and it reminded Anna of the times her mother would comfort her after she'd had a nightmare.

_Just do it Bastet, I don't have much time judging by the wraith's face_. Anna ordered, ignoring the pang of homesickness, Anna turned on her heel and ran away from everyone that was there. It only took a few minutes before she heard the wraith slithering after her, her suspicion proving to be correct as it gave chase.

She heard the startled exclamation that Homura and Nico gave voice to, and a hint of a smile danced across her face. _Listen you two, I need you both to charge up one of your most powerful attacks, I'll distract this thing long enough for you two to do that and then I'll bring it back around._ She explained quickly, a bit of the exhaustion she was feeling from maintaining this link creeped into her thoughts.

_Are you freaking crazy!? You're basically committing suicide you idiot!_ Homura practically snapped in her mind, something that Anna wouldn't have figured on beside on the neutral expression on the other girl's face.

_Pezzo di merda! I really hate to agree with her, but Homura's got a point you silly chit._ Nico scolded mentally, his own disapproval to this idea being so heavy that Anna could practically taste it in the air.

Anna didn't bother shooting off a response; instead she just increased her pace. Anna smiled weakly as despite their protests both more combative members did as she'd asked, quickly calling up as much energy as they could to get her out of there. Dodging around one pillar after another, Anna ducked around a corner and leaned against a wall as the Wraith went barreling past her. Taking the chance to catch her breath, Anna felt the anxiety and fury that the other two had been trying to keep hidden from her all this time.

"Okay, make sure to treat the both of them after this is over with." Anna whispered to herself, pushing herself away from the wall, she walked back in the direction that she was pretty sure that the other two were in.

She kept her senses on alert for the wraith, and after a couple of wrong turns plus who knows how long it took on just getting from where she'd been at to where her friends were. (The inside of the pyramid looked the same to her, but Bastet assured her that she knew where she was going) Anna stepped around the corner and saw Nico and Homura there, exhaustion crashing into her like a ton of lead bricks, Anna nearly crumbled when her brain registered that they were okay.

Unfortunately though, the sound of skin against stones drew her attention to behind her and she almost turned to look when Nico barked, "Down!"

Falling to her knees with her hands over her head, Anna watched as a wall of shadows, earth and who knows what else went rocketing past; avoiding her and colliding with the wraith behind her. A howl of rage escaping her, Anna felt her body shift from human to feline as she spun to face the Wraith. Pouncing on it, she lunged for its neck and bit down hard, the coppery taste of blood was mixed with the salty, overwhelming taste of despair and anger. She raked her claws against it, tearing grey skin from muscle and bone. She heard the two dark haired combatants behind her shouting for her to stop, and Anna knew that she should, but there was the overwhelming desire to kill this monster.

"Anna, stop!"

"The Wraith is dead, stop it."

Nico's initial command pierced through her mind; along with Homura's matter of fact words drew her back to reality. Taking a step back, she shifted back to human and looked at the torn and broken body before her. Tears filling her eyes, Anna collapsed to the ground, her hand flying to her mouth to keep her from letting something out; be it a keening cry or to keep her from puking, Anna didn't know.

She felt Nico's arms wrap around her from behind, hugging her close as he stared at the corpse that remained of the witch. Anna appreciated that no one tried to reassure her, she knew that she had done it, that she had turned the witch into a mangled corpse. Staring at it with blank eyes, she faintly heard Homura ask, "Why is it that it hasn't disappeared yet? Why is it that it didn't produce a Grief Seed?"

Looking at her with blurry eyes, Anna almost asked what Homura meant when she heard a faint cracking sound; almost like ice spider webbing out before it fully cracked. Turning to look at the wraith's body, she listened as Nico asked, "Is that normal Homura?"

Before their resident expert could answer though, the witch exploded, sending Nico and Anna flying. She felt Nico's arms tighten around her, and she felt the familiar presence of darkness slide over her, opening her mouth to scream, Anna choked a bit as something slid into her mouth and down her throat. Choking, Anna closed her mouth and eyes, allowing the darkness to swallow her and Nico.

She opened her eyes after what felt to be just a few seconds. Although based on Bastet's panic it was a little longer than that, but it wasn't too long. Sometimes Anna loved being the host for a deity, the sped up healing process was always nice. Looking up at the sky, she saw Seth bent over her to see if she was okay. Sitting up gingerly, she did a quick inventory to make sure everything was alright before she answered her brother, "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I just fell asleep in the park, that's all."

She didn't believe it, something felt wrong from her trip to wherever. She couldn't bring herself to look at Seth, or else she feared she'd lose it. Standing up, she leaned against her brother and allowed him to help her walk home, trying to ignore the slight ache in her body from her journey.

Yet if everything was fine, why did she feel so negative? Okay, here's the first chapter in a crossover story involving Percy Jackson, Madoka Magica and an original story. Hope everyone enjoys it.


	2. Reunion

_Reunion_

(Chapter 1)

(Homura's POV)

Homura jumped over the park bench, looking over her shoulder to see Mami close behind her. She could feel that the wraith was nearby, and it bugged her to no end. They'd been chasing this one for a while now, and it seemed whenever they were close to getting caught up with it; it'd just evade them and run away again. Homura kept her eyes focused ahead of her as Mami called, "Homura, slow down."

Shaking her head quickly, Homura called back to the blond, "I can't. We can't afford to lose this wraith."

She heard but ignored the irritated huff that escaped the blonde gunner, but even then Homura couldn't stop. This wraith had mentioned something about those two strangers that had suddenly appeared months before; only for them to disappear as suddenly. She'd been fine other than for a few bumps and scraps, but she'd been driving herself crazy trying to find out if they were okay. She pushed herself harder and rounded a corner to see the wraith standing there, staring at her with such strong disinterest. The total disregard got beneath Homura's skin, but she wasn't about to show it.

"Homura!"

The shout from Mami drew the raven-haired girl's attention. She glanced over her shoulder to look at her, a scowl on Homura's voice before looked back a head of her at the wraith. Knocking an arrow, she pointed it at the wraith as Mami slid to a stop next to her; one of the blonde's guns already out and pointed to it.

The wraith laughed at them, before it sped away from them again. Letting the arrow loose just as the gun barked, sending a shot toward the spell caster; Homura bolted toward it again. She heard the noise from Mami, and called her wings to get caught up with the wraith faster. After a few minutes, Homura tackled it and tumbled to the ground, her hand already fishing out a pistol from her hip pocket.

Pulling the hammer on the gun back, she snarled, "What do you know about them?"

She didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to protect them. She'd already failed a friend once; she didn't want to do that again. The wraith laughed at her, taking delight in her frustration. Homura felt the anger uncurl through her in thick folds, washing away everything else.

She heard Mami come up, but what really drew her attention was the fact that the air suddenly chilled. Feeling someone to her right, she started to turn her head even as Mami called, "Get away from her!"

She felt an ice cold hand touch her arm, chilling her through the sleeve of her shirt. She caught a whiff of death and earth, but there was a spicy scent too; and Homura was pretty sure that she had smelled it before. She saw the way that the wraith started to summon energy to cast a spell. She watched as a wall of earth came rushing up, sliding effortlessly between her and the wraith.

"You will leave my friend alone," a boy hissed; his voice had a light Italian accent.

Glancing at him, she stared in surprise as Nico dragged her backwards; his hand tightening on her arm as they retreated to a safe distance. "Hey blonde, can you take care of this thing?"

Homura heard the huff of annoyance as Mami aimed the pistol in her hand, squeezed the trigger and shattered the earth wall that Nico had called up moments earlier. Twisting in her friend's grip, she eyed Mami to judge the other girl's reaction before she felt herself being tugged in Nico's direction. Twisting to look behind her, she saw that the boy was dissolving into shadows.

"We need to get Anna, and then I needed to tell you something." Nico explained blandly, before Homura felt her world dissolve. Closing her eyes to justify it being dark, she opened them only when she felt the sunshine kissing her skin and the breeze playing with her hair. Taking in her surroundings, she saw that it was a park. Turning in a circle, she caught a glimpse of Nico as he wobbled a little on his feet. Lunging forward, she grabbed him by the arms and kept him from falling.

Wrapping an arm around his back, she asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I've just been using my powers a little too much. It's the price I pay for my heritage." Nico explained, a tired smile spreading across his face.

Not satisfied with that answer but not wanting to pry, she took a step forward and then another one. It was about half an hour before they found Anna, and that was outside of an ice cream parlor. Waving at her through the glass, she saw the way Anna's eyes widened at the sight of them before she excused herself to her two male companies. Waiting until she stepped outside, Homura was a little shocked when Nico just reached out and grabbed a hold of Anna's arm.

Before she knew it, Homura saw that they were in a different area. It was a camp of some sort, quick looks around told her that they were in the location where the campers slept; or at least judging by the different cabins. "Over there, to the one with the green flames that's kinda creepy looking." Nico ordered, pointing to a dark colored cabin that gave Homura the creeps, especially with the skull hanging above the door.

If the outside was eerie, the inside was possibly even worse. The walls were made of obsidian, casting the cabin into darkness; and the beds were made to resemble black coffins. While the sheets and pillows the color of blood. Her eyes were drawn to the altar to see the bones and jewels on it, wrinkling her nose at the sight she almost made a comment at the décor when Nico mumbled, "I know it's not exactly the most welcoming thing; but it'll work. We'll also be safe from eavesdroppers."

Nodding in acknowledgement, she helped Nico over to the closest bed and set the kid down. Taking a step back, Homura tried to ignore the feeling of being watched; and a quick look in Anna's direction showed her that the slightly older girl didn't seem to mind. Curious at it, she noticed that even Nico seemed to be intrigued by it. "This place reminds me of Tyler, James and Aiden. I guess even a little bit of Mia, Tish and Sabine, even though I don't know the girls as well as the guys." Anna explained distractedly, wandering around the cabin with interest as she inspected it.

"Oh? Why is that?" Nico asked, apparently getting distracted from whatever he had wanted them all there for.

"They're psychopomps, or at least they share their bodies with some." Anna answered, continuing with her investigation.

Shaking her head to dismiss her confusion, filed that away to ask about later and focused on Nico. "What did you want to share but not until we were all here?" Homura asked; drawing Nico's attention to her and making Anna pause in her investigation. She couldn't be sure, but Homura could have sworn that Nico paled at her question and that he'd slumped a little.

"We were supposed to meet, it was no accident." Nico whispered; his eyes seemed distance as though he didn't want to say what needed to be said. After a few more moments of silence, Nico continued, "According to father and Chiron, our worlds are mixing for some reason; and it's allowing our enemies to join forces."

Anna cocked her head to the side, curiosity in her eyes as she waited for farther information. Homura noticed that there was a new, odd darkness in Anna's eyes as she watched their mutual friend. Awkwardly sitting down on the edge of the bed, Homura reached out and patted Nico's back as she whispered soothingly, "It's okay Nico, things will get better. We'll all figure it out."

Nico shook his head; it was almost like there was something else that he needed to say. Something tugged at the back of Homura's mind, and it was telling her that she wouldn't like whatever it was. "[I]_The barriers are torn between life and death, six souls must be surrendered._[/I]" Nico whispered his eyes cloudy as he tried to recall the rest of the phrase.

"What does that mean?" Anna snapped, eyes flashing in irritation.

Shooting a look in the girl's direction, she almost snapped at her for the exasperation when Nico interjected with, "I don't know; it seems to be a new prophecy. It's a quest really, and my dad says that it is the reason our worlds are melding together."

She heard Anna curse in a language she didn't know, but Nico didn't seem to approve of the word choice. She watched as Anna shrugged in an unapologetic fashion; seeming to not care that Nico didn't approve of what she'd said. Disregarding it, Homura looked back at Nico and opened her mouth to say something when the cabin shook from the force of impact. Eyes darting around to see what it was, she heard Nico mutter a curse in Italian before he rose to his feet; a little shaky at first before he became sure again.

"They're here, the wraiths from your realm Homura." Nico hissed, his eyes glowing with an odd purple fire as he strode toward the door. Looking over at Anna, Homura watched as she got up and followed after the demigod; who had grabbed a sword that was leaning against the wall.

"Come on, we need to get these guys under control before they overrun the camp." Nico said coldly, before he opened the door and walked out to confront the creatures.

[CENTER]~-~-~-~-~

[SIZE=1](Nico's POV)[/CENTER][/SIZE]

Nico wove his way through the crowds; his eyes scanning for the wraiths that he knew were here. He was also keeping his eyes out for monsters, knowing that they would use the fact that the wraiths were here to their advantage. Hearing something come up behind him, he crouched low and spun around, unsheathing his sword and slashing at the monster. He saw his sword connect, but the monster didn't fade away like it should have done. A snarl escaping Nico, he heard the air behind him whistle.

He watched the arrow connect with the monster, embedding itself in the monster's forehead only to explode in a flash of light. Shielding his eyes, he listened as a voice called, "Di Angelo, are you getting soft? Do I need to put you on bed rest again?"

Nico opened his eyes and blinked the spots from his eyes, surprise showing in his eyes for a brief moment when the monster that had been there moments before is now gone. Probably disappeared back to Tartarus, and Nico hoped it stayed there for the next hundred years or so. Shivering at the memory of the place, Nico gestured to their surroundings and knew that Will understood the gesture. They could talk later, but first they had to clear out the camp.

Diving into the next the next swarm, Nico viciously set to work hacking and slashing at anything that moved toward him in an attempt to kill him. He didn't bother paying attention to see if Homura and Anna had left the Hades cabin, also known as cabin thirteen, but he knew either way that they would be okay. Those two girls were strong, he could tell that much already. Nico spun away from a hellhound, slashing it along its side he watched as his sword absorbed it.

He caught a flash of light to his right, causing him to look toward it to see Homura with a pair of wings. Raising an eyebrow, he focused back onto the situation at hand only to feel a tremble in the earth. Thinking that it might be Percy, he ignored it until a shout of surprise reached his ears; and it was from Percy.

"Okay who is trying to outshine Dad with this earthquake?"

Tensing at the shout, Nico felt himself hit the ground just as the rest of the monsters had. He glanced around to see that the only ones still on their feet were Chiron, Percy (he really hated it when Percy called on his dad for extra balance) and Anna, who seemed freaked out by what was going on. Homura on the other hand was up in the air, watching the events on the ground with disinterest. After it subsided, Nico placed his hands on the ground and caused the terrain to open up and swallow the monsters before it repaired itself. The wraiths that had been attacking the camp had been destroyed somewhere along the line, making it where things were quiet once more.

Wearily getting to his feet, Nico felt the headache that was starting to build within his mind. He felt Will slip up next to him, and he just stood there and let the son of Apollo inspect him for injuries. Scanning the other fighters that were present, he listened as the medic scolded, "Nico, you just got off of bed rest, do you want me to do it again? I will."

Shaking his head, Nico answered distractedly, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me Will, you should check on the others." Nico knew that Will wouldn't be happy about that, but he was honestly fine. Turning to look at Percy, Annabeth, Chiron, Homura and Anna (who had somehow gathered together), Nico started to make his way over; trying to figure out where he should begin when he felt a cold electric rush course over him.

[I]_I almost claimed your soul when you wandered into my realm before di Angelo; and know that I will succeed the next time._[/I]

The words slithered through his mind, chilling Nico to the bone as he froze mid-step. Eyes darting around, he tried to pinpoint where the voice was coming from; hoping that maybe it wasn't who he thought it was. Nico flinched a little as someone slid up next to him again; a glance in the person's direction revealed the person to be Will, his blue eyes peeked out from behind blonde locks.

"Will, didn't I just tell you go check on the other combatants?" Nico snapped.

"My siblings are taking care of it; I want to meet your friends." Will countered, a smirk flitting about the tanned boy's face.

Nico snarled at the Apollo boy, hating him at the moment for the disregard the healer was showing him. Stalking up to the group waiting for him, Nico was about to say something when he got cut off by Chiron; who motioned for all of them to follow him and then headed for the Big House.

Great, things were about to get worse.


	3. What Did the Horse-Thing Say?

_What Did the Horse-thing Say?_

(Homura's POV)

Homura followed the horse thing toward the Big House, not that she was sure what the "Big House" was. Glancing over at Nico, she saw that he seemed ashen from the fight, but based on his performance the last time she doubted that. She saw the way that even Anna, as grumpy as the other girl was, seemed to be concerned for their Italian friend. Worming her way toward him, she saw that the blonde that was next time him was glaring daggers at her; almost like she was to blame for his condition.

For that matter, the dark haired sea-green eyed boy that had a bronze sword didn't seem too happy with her either. Sensing Anna slinking up from behind, Homura stared at Nico until the pale boy glanced in her direction, his eyes dark and unfocused as he contemplated something. "Come on kids, hurry it up! No delaying now!" The horse-man snapped, and based on Nico's expression, along with his friends, that wasn't a common reaction for him.

"Chiron, is there really a need to act the way you are?" The sea-green eyed boy asked.

Anna's eyes drifted to him as quickly as Chiron's, and Homura didn't outwardly react when the horse-man snapped at the sea-green eyed boy with, "Percy, you know what I'm like by now. If I'm agitated, or visibly worried about something, it's not good for everyone involved."

Percy opened his mouth to say something, only for Nico to scoff, "Yeah, but we mustn't forget how you'll dress those involved up similar to a thanksgiving turkey before you ship them off to be sacrificed. You did that with Luke, and you damn nearly succeeded with Percy and everyone else."

Homura watched as Chiron's eyes grew stormier at the accusation, now whether false or not she didn't know, before he could respond though Anna bolted forward and smacked Nico upside the head, hissing at him in a low voice so she couldn't understand the words before the girl turned to Chiron and apologized to him. "I'm sorry; I know Nico didn't mean to say any of that. He's just stressed, that's all."

Homura watched as Nico raised an eyebrow at that comment, before he grumbled something else in Italian. Thinking fast, she commented, "I think he's just cranky because it's past his bedtime, I was getting ready to put these two children down for a nap when those things attacked." She ignored the glares her two friends gave her, and she saw the mixed look of horror and amusement on Percy's face. Grabbing her friends by the shoulders, Homura started to lead them away as she called hastily, "I'll meet up with someone later to discuss what's the strategy, but first I need to put these two down for their naps; they're totally grumpy!" Catching Percy's gaze, she mouthed at him, 'Meet me later and explain things.'

Without waiting for a response or another word, Homura practically dragged her two friends away from the group. After they were away from the group, she stopped since it was clear neither Anna nor Nico were going to tolerate her shoving them anymore and braced herself for the explosion that was about to come. She watched as they leapt away from her and rounded as one, purple fire blazing in Nico's eyes and bright, golden flames like the sun blazing in Anna's as they snapped in unison, "What in the name of Hades were you doing back there!"

Staring at them blankly, Homura answered coolly, "Saving your asses from that horse-thing."

That succeeded in shutting up Anna and Nico as they tried to process what she'd just said. She saw the gears turning in their heads, but she continued on walking back toward that cabin Nico had directed them to earlier. She heard them following her after a few moments, and she was grateful that they didn't say anything to her in response to what she had said. She hoped that her luck would hold and that those two would be quiet until they got back to Nico's room. Shutting the door behind her, after everyone was inside, Homura turned just in time to catch Nico glaring daggers at her. Right, can we say a little seething ball of hatred?

Raising an eyebrow at the look, she walked over to the wall away from the door and sat down. She tried to ignore the chill that set into her bones, and a quick glance in Anna's direction told her that the other girl was handling the chill only slightly better than Homura. Focusing back on Nico, she saw the way the little emo stalked back and forth, his dark eyes darting from one shadowed corner to the other; almost as if he was expecting something to jump out and attack him. She figured that maybe he had had something along that lines happen to him in the past, so maybe that's why he was so grumpy. She watched Anna shift her weight from one foot to the other, almost as if the other girl wasn't quite sure what to say.

Bringing her knees up to her chest, Homura stared at her hands for several minutes, she knew that she needed to say something to smooth the other two's tempers, but she wasn't quite sure how to do it. Why couldn't Mami be here to manage it? The blonde was so much better when it came to people. "I wasn't trying to insult you guys, it's just that was the only thing I could think of on such short notice." She whispered finally, feeling awkward at the admittance, but knowing that it needed to be said to try and keep the peace between them.

A glance in Anna's direction showed that the girl understood, even if she was still irritated from the wording. Looking over to Nico, she watched the boy as he paused in his pacing and considered her words. "You could have worded it differently though," he spoke, keeping his words level as best as he could, but there was still agitation laced through the words, along with a strange coldness.

Homura nodded slightly in acknowledgement, she could have done it differently. Letting silence settle over them again, she kept an eye on her two friends until Anna wandered over and curled up next to her; a sleepy look on the two-toned haired girl's face even as she leaned her head against Homura's shoulder. Tensing slightly at the contact, Homura noticed the amused look on Nico's face before he turned away and headed over to the lower part of the bunk bed. She observed that the configuration into a bunk bed was new, but it still fit well with the room. "If you want to put Anna up top that's fine, there's also a sleeping bag in the closet if you're interested." Nico commented, turning to look at her even as he lay down on his back.

She pondered it for a moment, she could use some shut eye after what happened; but she didn't want to leave the other two unguarded until someone else was present. Coming to a decision, she climbed to her feet and helped Anna to stand up before leading the other girl over, Anna's pale blue eyes seemed blurry with sleep; making Homura smile faintly as she helped the shorter girl up and into the bunk. Stepping back, she bent down and looked at Nico, opening her mouth to ask a question, she hesitated when she caught his chest rise and fall slowly, signaling that the other teen was asleep. Smiling a little, she walked back over to where she was and sat down again, pressing her back against the wall, she switched her attention between her two friends sleeping to the door every few minutes. Eyelids growing heavy, she shut them for a few minutes to rest them.

"Hey, wake up."

Homura stirred a little at the prompt, swatting the hand away, she rolled away and listened as the voice hissed once more, "Wake up!"

Mumbling something under her breath, she scooted away from the annoying thing; some part of her aware enough to recognize the smell of sea breeze that had entered the chilled room. She heard the person address someone else, and she thought that it involved a "are you sure she's okay, Nico?" The disgusted sound from the person being questioned helped to draw Homura closer to the surface; cracking an eye open she squinted at the dark-haired, sea-green eyed boy that was in front of her. Confusion chased away the fog, fully waking Homura up from her nap. Looking at the boy, she saw that he had lightly tanned skin and that he was wearing an orange t-shirt that said Camp Half-blood on it. He seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on from where. Eyes darting around, she caught a glimpse of Anna sitting on the bottom bunk, the same one that Nico had previously been occupying. Violet eyes calmed for a second, before they grew wide again as her gaze darted straight to Nico, seeing that the boy was leaning against the door frame and talking with another boy, this one had blonde hair and wore a purple shirt that had the letters SPRQ printed on the front. Catching Nico's gaze, she worse an eyebrow and motioned at the two boys, and mouthed, "who are these two?"

Nico's eyes darted to her, making him pause in his conversation with the blonde. She stood back, evaluating his expression to try and judge what he thought. After a moment, Nico said carefully, "These are Percy Jackson," taking a moment to gesture to the boy closest to her; "and this is Jason Grace. They're…my cousins in a sense." Nico finished carefully, looking away from Homura in an attempt to hide something; although what she wasn't sure. Catching Anna's eyes, she saw that the other girl was just as confused. Focusing back on Jason, she saw the way his jaw was clenched, almost as if he was trying to avoid shouting at the younger boy in front of him; which did not sit well with Homura one bit. Climbing to her feet, she crossed the room and shoved Jason hard in the chest, eyes flashing with frozen fire she snapped, "Back off asshole, I don't care what you heard that you didn't like, you [I]_will_[/I] back down."

She saw the way Jason's eyes flashed at her, almost as if he wanted her to go at him again. She didn't like that about him, and for some reason, she disliked it even more when she felt someone move up behind her and carefully wrap their hands around her waist, pulling her close and away from Jason. Stiffening in their grip, she contemplated tossing her head back in the hopes that she could bash their nose in, but paused when the scent of sea breeze and sun-warmed earth reached her, tipping her off enough before Percy said, "Calm down Homura, Nico was just explaining to us what happened when you three first met. He thinks he knows what's going on, and Jason…well, he's just worried about Nico. He got put through a lot recently so now his friends get a little paranoid when he gets in trouble."

Homura didn't know why, but listening to Percy helped to soothe her anger against Jason. Glancing over at Nico to see how he felt about Percy, she noticed that the gothic kid seemed to respect Percy as a younger sibling would respect an older one. Squirming again, Homura wiggled free of Percy's grip and stepped away from him. "Nico, what is going on? You said something about a quest, but you never explained what it is. Does it involve the souls that are going to be-." Homura stopped when Nico glared at her, apparently not wanting that information to be shared at the moment.

"What it means Homura, is that our respective worlds are in trouble, and unless we can stop it; we're doomed." Anna answered coldly, redrawing everyone's attention to her. Anna just sat on the bed, staring at her hands, she looked up when everyone's eyes were on her and she said coldly, "And if we don't stop this dumb thing, Tartarus from here, the witches from your realm Homura and the Reaper from my realm will tear the realms to shreds. So, yeah, we're lambs for the slaughter."

Homura was taken aback by Anna's bluntness, she was pretty sure that was out of character for Anna. Looking at the girl again, she caught a flicker of darkness in the girl's eyes before Anna dropped her gaze. "We're screwed, the Fates haven't been seen and Cyrus had scribbled down something even he didn't understand; but I think it might have been a prophecy."

She kept her eyes on Anna, but she sensed as each of the boys tensed at that soft declaration. She wanted to prompt the other girl into continuing, but at the same time Homura was afraid to do so; Anna was unsettling her. "[I]_Three realities stand apart, three souls are tainted. A soul stolen, a soul broken by horrors and a soul melded with another. The souls of the dead cry for vengeance, the earth cries tears of blood. __The barriers are torn between life and death, six souls must be surrendered._[/I]" Anna whispered, her voice breaking as she finished.

Silence hung in the air for a moment, until finally Percy blurted, "Am I the only one that's disturbed by the way it keeps referencing souls, life and death?"

This succeeded in drawing everyone's attention to him, and she was pretty sure that all of the color was draining from his face. She caught out of the corner of her eye Anna shrugging, almost like the girl didn't care about the heaviness of their situation. Although, apparently Jason cared about them because he remarked, "Maybe they're not a part of it, it could be this kid Cyrus."

Homura wished it was the case, but she highly doubted it; it seemed to have been talking about her, Nico and Anna. Everything seemed to match up, but if that was the case, who was the other souls they had to surrender? Or were they supposed to be included in it, or did they have to kill the six souls? She wasn't sure which she would have preferred, but either way she had a feeling either answer wouldn't have been very desirable. It was just a case of which was the lesser evil. "It's not talking about Cyrus, Jason. It's talking about Homura, Anna and me. Dad already knows what's going on, and he doesn't like it, but like the other Olympians, he's bound to do as the Fates order. Even if they order for someone he cares about to die, that's why he hasn't been attending the meetings." Nico admitted to the room, again making the room grow sober from the news.

After what felt like a couple of hours, Homura shook her head and shouted, "No! I won't be a puppet to the games of fate, we're going to fight against the prophecy and we're going to win. We'll do it so that way everyone knows that you make your own destiny." She knew that they didn't believe her, she could tell that from the looks on their faces. Growing frustrated, Homura huffed and turned on her heel, exiting the room so she could try and cool off. She needed to cool off, because with their pessimistic natures at the moment she didn't believe herself; and Homura [I]_hated_[/I] it when she doubted herself.


	4. Time for a Joke and Fire

**Mend**: I'm sorry for the delay with this, and a lot of these chapters are just a haul over from a different site I'm posting on with this same story. If anyone is wondering why Homura seems so attached to Anna, it's because Anna reminds her a lot of Madoka so she's being super protective because of that. Also she's trying to adjust to Nico's world so it's throwing her a little off her game. She does still have her guns, and this story technically takes place post-Rebellion after Homura is more stable.

* * *

_Time for A Joke and Fire_

_(Anna's POV)_

Anna watched Homura ditch them, and she registered briefly that she should go after Homura; but she didn't move. Turning to look at the boys faces, she saw the way Nico seemed irritated with how much of their situation had come to light. Even then though, she could tell that there was still more he was keeping hidden from her. A scoff escaping her, Anna spun around and headed for the door. She couldn't quite figure out why she was being so irritable, but she knew she had to get out of there before she said something cruel.

Walking out of the cabin, Anna thought about what she knew of the terrain. Seeing smoke curl upwards into the sky, Anna found that her feet were taking her in that direction before she even knew what she was doing. Avoiding a group of campers that were far prettier than her, she noticed when one of the girls looked in her direction; the girl looked to have been of Cherokee descent and had chocolate brown hair (it was cut in a choppy fashion); the girl's eyes also had flecks of brown, green and blue in them and Anna wasn't quite sure which color was the dominate one. Even with the tomboy fashion the girl clearly favored, Anna couldn't help but feel incompetent around the girl.

Shrinking into herself, Anna focused ahead of her and kept moving; listening as the whispers started behind her. She heard one of the girls shush the others, reprimanding them for being rude. Anna was almost tempted to look back, but decided against it; she knew for a fact that she didn't want to interact with them. The girls reminded her too much of the popular girls back home on so many levels.

Picking up her pace, Anna gently pushed through the minor crowd that had gathered closer to listen to the group of girls' gossip. "Wait, isn't she one of the ones that Nico's befriended?" Anna heard as walked past a camper with red hair and grey eyes, and without turning she could almost imagine them staring after her; trying to figure her out.

A pained shout reached her ears, and Anna did spare a glance over her shoulder to see a blonde girl chewing out the boy that had been whispering. She couldn't make out the words, but Anna was sure on one thing; she didn't want to make that girl mad based on her body language and the way that the boy cowered in fear of her.

Anna nearly shrieked when someone stepped in front of her; stumbling away from the boy, she glared at him for several minutes only to soften at the amused look in the boy's eyes as he held out a hand and said cheerfully, "My name's Leo Valdez, it's nice to meet you."

Blinking slowly in surprise, Anna reached out a hand and shook his as she said cautiously, "Anna Sol. If my memory serves, aren't you one of Hephaestus' boys?"

She saw the laughter that lit up his face at the question, and she reddened a little bit in her boldness and embarrassment. "Yup, that's me. Sorry sweetie, while I'm sure you're nice, I've already got a girlfriend."

Rolling her eyes at the remark, Anna felt her mouth turn up in a smile even as she wanted to slug him. She did appreciate the joke though; it made her feel more at ease around him. She could tell that was clearly what he was trying to do; and it made her relax even more as his eyes crackled with the warmth of a fire when he saw that the joke had succeeded in its job.

Looking around her, she saw that somewhere along the way she'd somehow ditched the rest of the crowd. Returning her eyes to Leo, she felt a brief surge of uncertainty only for it to retreat again as Leo started fiddling with his tool belt, pulling out random things before he started tinkering with them. "Anyway, you can trust me, I promise. You don't have to worry about getting hurt with the Hephaestus cabin, it's not like we're cursed anymore."

Anna shot him a look, quite clearly concerned and confused by what he had said. Seeing the sheepish look on Leo's face, she watched as he fiddled with his tool belt a little bit more as he chatted, "It's not that important, trust me. It's a long story that is best saved for another time."

She nodded reluctantly, not quite sure if she believed him on what he said but decided that she'd let it slide for the time being. She did notice the way that he seemed about as unsure of her as she was of him. Shifting from one foot to another, Anna tried to find something to say but she couldn't quite manage it. Turns out she wasn't the only one to suddenly get cold feet, Leo seemed to be as nervous as a caged lion.

Anna looked around her, searching for inspiration and when she turned back to look, Leo was gone. Sucking in a deep breath, Anna quickly started walking even as her eyes searched for the Hispanic-American boy, and she was surprised when she was already missing his mischievous smile. No, she hadn't fallen in love with him; it's just that type of spunk made her feel at ease.

Running along the ground, her eyes scanned her surroundings in search of a glimpse of curly black hair. Tripping over a tree root, Anna sprawled to the ground and pushed herself up to her hands and knees, several swear words slipping free from her. Dusting her hands off, she flinched slightly as they started to sting. Looking down to see the scrapes on them, she shifted so she was sitting on her butt and carefully started picking the stones out of her hands.

It was at this point that Leo reshowed his face, earning a scowl from Anna at his antics. Anger, hurt, betrayal, and confusion all flashed through her eyes as she watched Leo wearily. Why would he run off only to show up again when she fell? She knew she was probably jumping to conclusions, but her walls slammed up into place and she felt the need to rush back to Nico in case this was all a trap.

Leo seemed to pick up on her unease, because of the joking attitude fled from his eyes. It made her a little uncomfortable to see it, and that discomfort was quickly replaced with anger at him for making her feel discomfort because of a stranger. Huffing angrily, she picked herself and turned back toward the direction of camp. She took a couple of steps toward it, only to feel a warm hand slide into hers.

"Hey, don't go. I'm sorry about whatever I did to upset you, I didn't mean it. Can you forgive me for my transgression?" Leo chatted, a genuine apologetic look on his face as he stared at her.

Pulling her hand free, Anna turned to look at him and crossed her arms in front of her abdomen so he didn't get the wrong idea.

Not that she particularly cared if he got the wrong idea.

She watched him, trying to judge what he'd say or do next in an effort to get her to talk to him. Looking over her shoulder back at the camp, she heard him chatting away about something but she wasn't sure what he was talking about specifically. It was rather annoying listening to him at the moment, and part of her felt guilty at that since she could tell that he was a pretty good guy. He just had the misfortune of meeting her when she was in a bad mood.

Growing fed up with the wordless chatter, she snapped, "Look, unless you have a point, shut up!"

She saw the surprise on his face at her short temper, a twinge of guilt went through her but then she stomped it down. Whipping around in the opposite direction she stalked off toward camp, only to hesitate again when he called out, "Wait, if you to know what my point is, follow me. I promise I had a point to my ranting, but I need you to just give me a chance. Okay?"

Her curiosity got the best of her, and she looked back at him for a couple of minutes. Sighing in defeat, she turned back toward him and said softly, "Alright, let's go."

She then started to follow after him to see what it was that the Hispanic boy wanted with her.


	5. What Did the Girls Do NOW?

_What did the girls do NOW?_

_(Nico's POV)_

Nico stared at his cabin door, trying to figure out if he should go after the girls or not. Percy and Jason were still standing in the cabin, again making him wonder why they hadn't left yet. Seeming to notice the uncharacteristic amount of attention he was getting, even if Nico had opened up recently, Jason focused his attention on Nico completely. The Italian teen wasn't quite sure how to explain what he was thinking, which was completely embarrassing to be honest. Inching backwards on his bed, Nico pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them; a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"How long have you known the girls?" Jason demanded, his voice tight with concern. It wasn't hard to figure out why if someone was in the know, even still Nico didn't pay the concern much mind.

He could tell that Percy wanted to know the same thing, which honestly irritated Nico since it's not like he pried into their friendships and personal lives.

He was instinctively aware of where everyone was at in camp, Will more so than the others. Feeling the warmth of his boyfriend's soul, Nico drew some of the extra warmth around him, taking a great deal of comfort in it since he was about to have a conversation he didn't really what to have with his cousins. After all, one look at their faces and Nico could tell that there was no wiggling out of it. Sometimes he still hated Percy for that determination. Sometimes he still wished Annabeth would disappear so maybe he could toy with the idea of dating Percy.

But those thoughts were only on his extremely rough days. The days were his deepest and strongest wish were that he was never born.

Nico was getting better about those days, he honestly was. But sometimes it was still a little hard to manage those feelings. Shaking his head, Nico tried to think of how to truly explain just how long he's known them even though he was still a little confused about it. Shrugging a bit, he looked around his room, thinking about the actual length of time. Maybe an hour or so tops? It was so hard. Despite the short amount of time, he felt like he knew them for longer than what he actually did.

"I-I don't know, so please don't ask me such a complicated question." Nico stammered, his eyes going wide because of fear.

He saw the way Percy raised an eyebrow at the question, Jason's curse also drew his attention to him too. Why couldn't they just leave well enough alone? Sending a pulse of his powers out, he felt Anna's soul. Seeing that she wasn't in any immediate danger he switched his attention to Homura, and found that she was fine for the moment too. Switching his attention back to Jason and Percy, he eyed them wearily since he didn't really feel like having a conversation about whatever it is they wanted to talk about.

He listened to the bombardment of questions, with each passing one Nico retreated more and more into his head; trying to ignore them. He couldn't blame them for their concern, it only made sense that they would be. He didn't want to think about how things could turn out if things went south because of the prophecy, never mind that they were already heading south and fast. Retreating deeper into himself, Nico made a mental note to never let anyone catch on to his weaknesses again. He stared at his hands as he tried to figure out a satisfying enough answer for the other two demigods in front of him.

Seeming to find something semi-reasonable, Nico commented lightly, "I know it's crazy, but what if they're actually reincarnated but something got messed up during the process so they just landed in a different realm from this one? Maybe that's why we're all accepting it so easily, I mean you saw them in battle. Anna's probably mostly likely to have been a demigod beforehand because of her abilities now…"

_Brain, shut up. Mouth, stop rambling!_ He ordered himself mentally, which lead to Nico's derailed commentary.

Two sets of eyes blinked at him after he got done talking, and Nico felt his anxiety skyrocket at their looks. He hated it when he rambled, because it usually meant he said things that he didn't mean to and he always got weird looks. It also meant that he was talking way too much for his comfort levels. Looking between the two powerful demigods in front of him, Nico tried to think of something to break the awkward silence.

Only for an explosion to take care of it for him.

Watching as Percy and Jason instantly pulled out their weapons and looked around, Nico threw his powers outward to search for Anna and Homura. Leaping off the bed, Nico bolted out of the cabin, not even bothering to shut the cabin door behind him. He didn't explain where he was going. He didn't even notice that Percy and Jason were right behind him, anxious expressions on their faces as they followed the son of Hades. He was just focused on one thing and one thing alone that he didn't bother checking the state of their souls.

Homura and Anna were both at ground zero for the explosion.


	6. Crack in the Glass

_Crack in the Glass_

_(Homura's POV)_

Homura didn't pay any attention to where her feet were taking her, she just knew she had to get away from the others or she was going to explode. Other than the fact they were willing to accept their supposed fate, she couldn't understand why she was being so irritable. Something about this just didn't feel right, she heard the murmurs from the other campers as she walked through it; letting her feet take her wherever they so desired. She heard the sound of waves lapping at the ocean, a noise that startled her since she couldn't remember the last time she'd been near it. Oh, wait, yes she could...

_Sayaka was standing at the edge of the beach, a smile on her face as she hopped back and forth, laughter drifting out of her. Homura on the other hand was standing back, just watching the blue-haired magical girl. She wasn't sure what she should do on their beach trip, but it's not like she was about to show her uncertainty to Sayaka. Her eyes skipped over to Mami, the gunner seeming to be watching her intently. Almost as if Mami didn't trust her to be on the beach unsupervised, but then again, given her recent antics Homura couldn't blame the blonde._

_She would have thought Mami stupid if she would have trusted her. Homura cocked her head to the side, a mild curiosity creeping into her eyes before she dismissed the other girl from her mind. Her eyes found Madoka, the pink haired girl looked lovely in her beach dress. It was white and pink and Madoka just seemed so happy..._

Shaking her head roughly, Homura blinked a couple of times to dismiss the memory. She'd been stupid to let her mind wander even that much. Pulling her soul gem out of her pocket, she looked at the purple and saw that it was dark and foggy, hinting at her grief. A frown coming to her face, she pulled out the grief seed she'd somehow acquired from one of the wraiths and used it to pull the darkness out of her soul gem. Stashing both items after she was done with them, Homura felt lighter and more cheerful after the task.

Maybe that was why she'd been so irritable? Her soul just needed a quick cleaning so her witch didn't possess her again. Wait, if she was worried about that, and she had a grief seed in her pocket, did that mean what she thought it did? Homura bit her lip, concern shining in her eyes as her mind turned the new information over and over, analyzing it from every single direction. Her despair sky rocketed once she allowed herself to process that yes, that thought did seem true. The witches were returning, which meant Madoka's wish had become null and void.

She couldn't let that be the case, not again. Not after Madoka had already sacrificed so much, and Homura herself had sacrificed so much to support Madoka. She had given up her own happiness and peace of mind one too many times. Her heart hardening again, she didn't bother sitting down on the beach, even if she would have preferred to just enjoy the view and relax. Turning back around she started to head back toward the Hades cabin, only to realize that she didn't know where she was. Blinking blandly, she looked around her to see if she could maybe spot it from where she was. She couldn't, all she saw was trees no matter which way she turned and looked.

Homura heard a voice to her left, and recognizing it to be Anna; she quickly walked in that direction. Stepping into the clearing that Anna was in, she saw the hispanic boy that was standing in front of her friend. Her already frazzled nerves became even more so when she saw that he was talking to Anna. Quickly crossing the rest of the space between her and Anna, she stepped in the way and demanded, "What do you want with her?"

She saw the bewildered expression on his face, and she heard a soft laugh from the girl behind her. Looking back at Anna in confusion, she saw the amusement in Anna's eyes which helped her to calm down. Anna didn't feel threatened, so surely she shouldn't either, right? She did look back to the boy, and she saw the fact that he seemed to be a little worried about what he should do. She was about to toss out a suggestion, but held her tongue when Anna commented, "How about you show the both of us?"

The hispanic boy nodded before he turned around and walked away, looking to Anna she mouthed, _'Who is that guy?'_

_'His name's Leo Valdez, don't worry. He's safe to trust._' Anna mouthed back.

Homura decided that she'd just trust Anna on it, and she followed this Leo kid to wherever he wanted to take them. Turns out it was forge of some type, looking around at the contraptions she was in awe; but she wasn't about to show that to a couple of strangers, even if she did feel closer to Anna than Leo. They were still basically strangers to each other, despite having fought monsters and wraiths together. She saw a similar train of thought go through Anna's eyes, and it made her smile a bit. Dismissing the smile after a moment, she focused back on Leo to see that he was setting some machinary on the table. It would have been interesting, but her eyes were on the fire behind him. Noticing something next to the fire, her eyes widened and she quickly grabbed Anna and hightailed it out of the forge. Looking at Leo after they were safely outside, she called, "Hey, you! You might want to get out of there!"

Leo looked up, a quizzical look on his face before he turned to see what it was. Seeing the explosive container by the fire, he swore in Spanish and booked it out of the forge, grabbing Homura's hand and dragging her (and Anna since Homura was still holding onto her) out of there. Homura glanced over her shoulder to see that the flames were getting closer to the container again, and before she could say anything it reached the container and caused it to explode. She closed her eyes, preparing to be killed by the explosion and heat. Feeling nothing after several moments, she opened her eyes to see a gold dragon curled up around her and Anna, Leo on the other hand was holding his hand out toward the dragon's side.

"Thank you for the help Festus. I really appreciate this, I'll fix you up and give you that treat you really like." Leo said, clearly talking to the dragon.

She was shocked on that, she was even more shocked when she saw that her and Anna were fine; and that Leo was only a little bit singed. Staring at him in open amazement, she was about to ask on it when she watched him turn to face her and explained, "I'm a son of Hephasteus, it gives me a connections to mechaincial stuff, like Festus here and some fire manipulation. I used it to keep you two safe from the flames."

She didn't know how to respond to that, and the arrival of Nico, Jason and Percy saved her from needing to think of what to do for it. She was about to say something, but Nico bypassed her and Anna and punched Leo in the face. Shortly followed by Jason hitting Leo too, she stared at them in confusion only for Percy to explain it. "Nico was worried about you two, and Jason, well, Leo disappeared on us for six months so Jason was just saying hi."

Homura really didn't know how to answer that, so she just opted to not answer it. Anna seemed frazzled, but otherwise she was okay. Which relieved Homura's panicked mind, she switched her attention to dusting herself off. Looking at Leo, she said curtly, "Thank you for the help, but if you'll excuse us, there's something that Nico, Anna and myself need to talk about. Have a good day." Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed a hold of Nico and then grabbed Anna and walked away. She'd quickly decided that the Hades cabin was the safest place to discuss things, and probably the safest place in the entire camp.


	7. Runaway Love (Interlude)

_Runaway Love_

_Interlude_

_ The atmosphere was unbearably cold, it was coiling around him and chilling him to his very core. He knew where he was, he was within the depths of Tartarus, a place he swore he wouldn't set foot in unless it was absolutely neccesary. He let his feet take him to the center of the pit, or at least the area he was positive was the center of the place. It was always so hard to tell with where he was. The low rumbling echoed around him, and despite the chill in the air it set his nerves on fire._

_ He pulled his jacket closer around him, and that alone set his awareness on fully on edge. He never slept with his coat on, he stared around him trying to figure out why he'd been called down there. The sound of gunfire made him tense, eyes darting around him to find the source of the noise. It took a few moments but then his eyes found the tall, imposing figure of the spirit that embodies and shares its name with Tartarus. Seeing the rage in the spirit's eyes, he tried to call out but noticed that no noise came out. Eyes widening in panic, he forced himself to run toward the spirit of the pit to try and get it to stop._

_ Coming to a halt at the edge of a cliff, he threw his hands up to try and shield his eyes from the flames that were surrounding the spirit of the pit. Squinting down into the center, he thought he could just make out the silloutes of five figures. Three females and two males, but he couldn't be entirely sure of that fact. He saw the spirit of the pit turn toward him, he saw the cold fury in its bottomless black eyes._

_ 'I told you to never come here boy. Why must you disobey my orders child?'_

_ The words slithered through his mind like a snake across skin. Hell, it even felt that way. He took a step back, and he tried to formulate a response but again no words came out. Panic flaring in his eyes, he shook his head and glanced around, trying to find a way to explain why that was the case. Next thing he knew was his back was slamming against the wall, knocking the air from his lungs. Struggling to regain his breath, his eyes found the spirit of Tartarus and looked at it with pleading eyes._

_ 'You broke the truce, for that and other crimes, your soul is mine boy.'_

_ He opened his mouth to scream as tendrils of darkness, lava and stone raced toward him, piercing his body in various places. He felt it tear through his skin, humiliating him enough only for it to turn into white-hot pain as the tendrils tore through the rest of his body, tearing him to shreds and freeing his soul to be devoured._

Tyler jerked awake fromthe nightmare, landing hard on his bedroom floor and rattling his bones. Eyes darting around him, it took his brain a moment to realize it was three in the morning, the sky was pitch black outside. He found it a little ironic that the moon and stars were hidden from him tonight, it just seemed to add to the chill in the air. Trembling on the floor, Tyler was happy when Cereberus hopped down and curled up next to him.

Burying his face in the black pit bull's fur, he muttered, "I don't know what to do, people are going to die. I don't want them to, but I don't know how to stop it."

Cereberus huffed, a clear message of 'worry about it tomorrow, go back to sleep young master.'

Tyler didn't want to, but he closed his eyes to obey, and after several minutes and countless rounds of tossing and turning, Tyler drifted off to sleep again.


	8. The Rabbit Seems to Call

_The Rabbit Seems to Call_

_(Anna's POV)_

Anna waited until they were back in cabin thirteen to say anything. Even then, she wasn't sure what to say. Nico apparently had a rough idea of what to say, since the Hades child snarked, "So, what's so important that we had to talk about it here. Or was that just an excuse to get away from Leo?"

Homura's cheeks burned a little at being seen through so easily, let alone by someone she hasn't known for very long. Anna wasn't about to break it up, she didn't see how it was her job. She did notice the slightly pleading look from Homura that was shot in her direction, an action she didn't think was possible for the other girl. Let alone to practically a couple of strangers to the gunner. Seeming to realize what she did, the wall went back up around Homura's heart, sealing away the sneak peek of a gentler side.

She could see that Nico was trying to figure it out, and the door being locked was a sure thing on no one intruding on them. Although that didn't bar eavesdroppers, a fact that did have Anna a little on edge before she dismissed it from her mind. "We need to move out from here. Camp Half-Blood needs help from their Brooklyn neighbors, along with Camp Jupiter." She said firmly.

Nico's hands instantly shot up in a "hold up a sec" gesture, something that caused a twinge of irritation to move through her. She hated being told to repeat herself, only for a frown to furrow her brow as she realized just how unreasonable she was being on that front. Looking away from them, she focused on the floor as Nico asked, "Why do we need to get the Egyptians involved? I can understand on Camp Jupiter, although I'm not happy about it. Why the Egyptians though?"

"Because, if we can get Set on our side, it might make this quest easier." Anna said softly as a gentle reprimand.

What she wouldn't say was that there were more felines in Brooklyn that were calling to her. Also, if she was in Brooklyn, she could possibly fool herself into believing that she was home since there'd be the residue magic of the Egyptian deities hanging in the air. A pang of homesickness moved through her, making her a little nauseous before she shoved the feeling to the side. Homura watched her closely, trying to pick out the telltale signs of weakness that Anna may or may not knowingly give away. Well, forget it. Taking a deep breath, she added, "Besides, I'm having trouble sensing Bastet, I want to see if they know a way to make it easier."

Homura nodded in understanding, looking to Nico she commented, "We'll be needing all of our strength to finish this quest, so we may as well go to Brooklyn."

Nico scowled in disapproval at the idea, only to look around the Hades cabin again. He seemed to be looking for a justification to turn it down, besides he didn't feel like talking to anyone new. A coy smile spreading across her face, Anna walked forward and stroked Nico's chin as she commented sweetly, "What's wrong Nico, scared?"

His cheeks got flushed at the remark, shaking his head, Nico opened his mouth to protest when she placed a finger gently on his lips, silencing him. "It's okay, demigod, I wouldn't blame you. Tell you what, you and Homura can stay here and get things under control, I'm going to head over to Brooklyn to talk to them."

Nico shook his head as he snapped, "No, either we all go or no one goes. I-I don't want to lose a friend." She stared at Nico, a look of surprise on her face as she tried to process what was said. She could see that he was embarrassed at the fact he voiced it, Homura also just stood there trying to process what she'd just heard given the way the Italian demigod could be based on what they'd seen so far.

Sure, Anna knew more about Nico because of the books, so she could understand his outburst but it was still a little jarring to hear him say he considered her a friend. Reaching out a hand, she placed the back of it against Nico's forehead to see if he was running a fever at all. Earning a scowl and frustrated swat in response to her gesture. Grumbling irritably, Anna heard him slip into Italian and say some words that she was sure her mom would wash his mouth out with soap for saying. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." She commented hesitantly, meaning what she said but unable to call up the needed emotion to make it sincere.

Nico shot her a look, the emotion concealed with the depths of his eyes. Unreadable to her and making her wish that Adam was there to read it for her. She repeated Nico's action from earlier, searching for any trace of something to switch the topic. Seeming to come up emptyhanded, Homura commented lightly, "How about we just head out now? Get this conversation over with so we can all come back and recharge?" Nodding in answer to that, Anna was relieved when Nico nodded in agreement too.

She took the outstretched hand from Nico, and closing her eyes she felt the cold rush of darkness that swept over them as Nico shadow traveled them to get as close to Brooklyn.


End file.
